Tides of Carwashing: Behind the Squeeze

With a whopping 472 responses, this month's Tides of Carwashing topic turned out to be the most popular issue in our opinion poll series. While the theories behind the political and media influences involved in the U.S. economic situation ran the gamut, the industry seemed united in thinking that yes, the economic “slow down” is affecting the carwash industry, and no, the government's tax rebates are not going to help.

Alarmingly, nearly 40 percent of respondents to include an additional comment indicated they were either unaware or did not understand the small business tax initiatives included in the Economic Stimulus Package recently passed by Congress. The majority of those indicating they would take advantage of the initiatives said they would use them to purchase or upgrade equipment, while a slew of responders said they intended to skip the tax breaks altogether and instead focus on saving money for 2009. One operator said he/she had already reduced operating hours to part-time, and another was considering closing his business entirely.

Many “other” responders indicated the media and the housing market are also important factors.

Do you have a topic you want PC&D to poll for its Tides of Carwashing section?

Email your ideas and suggestions to Kate Carr, kcarr@carwash.com, to see your survey in print.